A Time for Turbos: Subaru Impreza WRX

Four sub-$30,000 turbocharged sport-compacts vie for your hearts and checkbooks.

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Every once in a while a manufacturer listens to us. Okay, it's more likely Subaru was listening to the scores of enthusiasts who cried out in horror that the completely redesigned 2008 car had lost its fun-to-drive nature. We said the new car had "lost its WRX-ness" in a Road Test report.

So one year after unveiling the new WRX, Subaru reworked it again for 2009. And addressed pretty much every issue we, and all the enthusiast buyers, had: an engine that ran out of steam up high, overly soft suspension and conservative styling (turns out WRX owners want people to know they're driving a WRX, not just an Impreza).

The engine remains the same smooth 2.5-liter horizontally opposed 4-cylinder from last year's car, but now with a larger turbocharger, increased boost (from 11.4 psi to 13.3), an optimized catalytic converter and a larger-diameter exhaust with a 30-percent increase in flow. Power jumps from 224 to 265 bhp, with torque increasing from 226 lb.-ft. to 244. Mated to a fine-shifting 5-speed manual (the only way the WRX comes for 2009 — last year's WRX becomes this year's Impreza 2.5 GT, with a 4-speed automatic), the WRX's all-wheel drive clawed and pulled its way to 60 mph in a test-stomping 5.1 sec. That's 0.6 sec. quicker than last year's car and 0.3 sec. quicker than the Cobalt SS and the Ralliart. It's also within 0.1 sec. of the mighty STI!

Subaru engineers moved the power a bit higher up the rev range (peak bhp at 6000 rpm, compared to 5200 last year). Kott said the car's newfound power makes it a "sleeper" version of the STI.

Last year's soft suspension was addressed by adding 43-percent-stiffer front springs and 42-percent-stiffer rears, along with front and rear anti-roll bars each increased by 1 millimeter. The Dunlop SP Sport 01 tires are stickier and wider — 225/45R17s, up from 205/50R-17s. The result is a sure-footed, fine-handling back-road machine, with a ride quality almost as good as last year's marshmallow.

Despite the stiffer suspension, Kim still felt the WRX was "squishier than the Cobalt SS, although it's a competent all-rounder."

Kott agreed, "The WRX has a nice, supple ride that doesn't sacrifice too much handling precision." And although the WRX didn't win any outright handling categories, such as the slalom or skidpad, it posted the best time around the autocross, beating the Cobalt SS by 0.16 sec.

"It feels more settled and relaxed when driven hard compared to the others," said Hong, while Kott, our resident autocross Meister, said, "It felt great through fast slalom sections — it just flows from one transition to the next, while the other cars weren't as fluid." But if you left-foot-braked too much around the autocross, the pedal went hard and braking ability decreased substantially.

Although the interior is mostly carryover from last year, we're not complaining, as it has the most straightforward controls of the bunch, without the cheap-feeling pieces found on the Cobalt SS. The seats are comfortable for long hauls, but for sporty driving they're substandard: "It seems they were built for a wider person," said Kott, "as I was bouncing off the bolsters during cornering."

So if we like this new WRX so much, why didn't it win? Because in terms of pure dynamics, there's another car in this test that's just a slight bit better.